Friday, October 19, 2012

With the holidays rapidly approaching, it's time to prepare for the onslaught of toys and games that will be advertised to children everywhere.

But while some options might seem like good gift ideas as the time... the last thing we want is for our little ones to end up with yet another discarded, it-was-fun-for-maybe-ten-minutes toy that is neither fun nor educational.

Instead, it just makes sense to turn to Chuggington, the name that has been rolling full speed down the tracks in 2012. After the great toys, gear, DVDs, party supplies and more that have already debuted, this month things have been turned up a notch as Chuggington has released two new Wooden Railway sets from TOMY just in time for wishlists everywhere – Koko's Safari Set and Brewster's Icy Escapade Set.

Combining the classic charm of wooden train play with the exciting world of Chuggington, these two new sets are filled with high quality pieces, easy setup instructions (but can truly be adapted for all sorts of creative, open-ended play), and the fun and enjoyment that comes along with these great chuggers.

As my kids always have a traintastic time with everything and anything Chuggington, it didn't take long before they were ready to tear into the box containing Brewster's Icy Escapade Set.

As seen in the Chuggington episode, "Frostini's Meltdown," a heat wave has struck Chuggington and the power is out. Brewster has to save the day by picking up ice at the ice cave and delivering it to the Ice Cream Factory before all of the ice cream melts!

This 31-piece set includes a 2-in-1 "icy" mountain with removable mountain cap (which can then be placed elsewhere on the track to form a tunnel), a magnetic crane, a magnetic ice block, a cargo car, a cargo bin, an exclusive ice saw car, Brewster (of course), and more.

Using a combination of the single page of instructions and the photograph on the box, it barely took any time at all before these pieces were connected together (they fit into place extremely easily) and we were ready to help Brewster load and unload his ice cargo throughout Chuggington.

All of the small details that TOMY included in this set really work to give it a unique, fun look and feeling. How often do kids get to saw ice or drive their train through a frozen tunnel?

As I suspected, the girls' eyes lit up as they sat back to see the finished product. After only a moment's pause, they were ready to dive right in and begin creating adventures and stories starring Brewster as he sailed down the tracks.

As well as the magnetic capabilities that the cars have with each other, both of the girls (and I) were really taken with the magnetic crane. Being able to drive Brewster and the cargo car right underneath the crane and then lowering the "hook" down to lift up the block of ice added a fun twist to the set that we haven't seen elsewhere.

We would have loved this set to include more than one ice block to really get into the fun of delivering them around the track

It has been abundantly clear that this high quality wooden train set is built to last as well as entertain. We're excited that it is compatible with other train sets so that we can add on more pieces to make an even larger scene, while the innovative aspects do make this stand out on its own. From moving the icy mountain cap around the track...

...to driving in, out, around and through on these smooth, wooden tracks while we load, unload and saw the ice...

...it has been easy to assemble (and disassemble and rebuild), operate, and put through a variety of fun-filled, traintastic tales!

If you have a fan of Chuggington and trains in your life, Brewster's Icy Escapade Set would be a great gift this holiday season. Retailing for $99.99, it is available now at specialty retailers.

And, thanks to the generosity of Chuggington, one person will be prepared to bring the icy excitement to their home as well, because...

One lucky person will win a Brewster's Icy Escapade Set!

(Enter with the Rafflecopter form below. If you have any questions or problems entering, there is a video tutorial found here that can help.)

A big thank you to Chuggington for providing a Brewster's Icy Escapade Set for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.